It’s the art of constructive feedback: If you’re a teacher with a mountain of papers to grade, you may find yourself puzzling over which kinds of notes in the margins work best. Martha and Grant discuss strategies for effective paper...
When a jacket’s been on the hanger too long, the shoulders get punched out, meaning they become distended. The same principle is behind the term butt-sprung, which describes a skirt that’s distended by the wearer, and now applies to...
Here’s another newsletter from A Way with Words. On this past weekend’s show we mused over the idea of reading books on electronic devices, talked about “tow-headed,” and got to the German origins of “going to Buxtehude...
chook tractor n.— «The “chook tractor” is a time old permaculture concept as far as i can tell. it can be as complex or simple as you like. but the basic principle is enclose the chooks where you want to plant a garden, feed...
fast fashion n.— «Working on the principle that the customer is always right, Topshop and H&M are among a clique of “fast fashion” companies that includes Zara, Camaieu and other European retailers that not only solicit...
Ubonics n.— «During slavery, oration was used as coded speech to “hide collective action from slave owners.” Today this principle is exemplified in speech such as Ubonics—a “slang” version Ebony-phonics, also knows as Ebonics—and rap...